Friday, October 03, 2008

A Very Interesting/Informative selection of books...

Gaynor Arnold's Booker Prize longlisted GIRL IN A BLUE DRESS, based on the troubled marriage of Charles Dickens, a riveting portrait of a woman who is doomed to live in the shadow of her husband, the most celebrated author in the Victorian world, Suzanne O'Neill at Crown, by Geraldine Cooke and Hannah Ferguson at The Marsh Agency.

THRILLER:

Keith Thomson's ONCE A SPY, in which a ne'er-do-well horseplayer learns his estranged father has Alzheimer's, and decides to institutionalize him, but as his dad was once a spy, his old colleagues decide he would be better off dead, to Stacy Creamer at Broadway, for publication in Spring 2009, by Richard Abate (World).

International bestselling author of more than twenty novels, including The Alibi Man and Prior Bad Acts, Tami Hoag's DEEPER THAN THE DEAD, for publication in December, 2009, and a second novel, moving to Ben Sevier at Dutton (and NAL for paperback), by Andrea Cirillo at the Jane Rotrosen Agency (NA).

Two thrillers by screenwriter for DON'T SAY A WORD and Edgar winner Andrew Klavan, again to Otto Penzler at Otto Penzler Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, by Robert Gottlieb at Trident Media Group (world English).

GENERAL/OTHER:

Anne Fortier's JULIET, which reinvents the world's most famous love story, interweaving a tale of contemporary and medieval Siena in which a young woman discovers her family heritage may be descended from the true story behind Romeo and Juliet, to Libby McGuire and Susanna Porter at Ballantine, in a pre-empt, by Daniel Lazar at Writers House (US). Canadian rights to Iris Tupholme at Harper Canada, at auction.

Lauren Grodstein's A FRIEND OF THE FAMILY, a story of suburban corruption and tragedy which charts one father's fall from grace as he struggles to save his family, his reputation, and himself in the tradition of American Beauty and Little Children, to Kathy Pories at Algonquin, by Julie Barer at Barer Literary (NA), and to Kate Elton at Random House UK, by Caspian Dennis at Abner Stein on behalf of Barer Literary.

International Brand Manager at Rodale Cindy Ratzlaff and TV icon Kathy Kinney's QUEEN OF YOUR OWN LIFE, personal (often embarrassing) stories and creative tools to inspire women of a certain age to embrace their new role as "queens" rather than "crones," to Deb Brody to Harlequin, for publication in January 2010, by Stephanie Tade at the Stephanie Tade Agency (world).

Theresa Brown's NURSING: FIRST YEAR, a "One L"-like account of nursing, expanding on her New York Times essay "Perhaps Death is Proud," to Bob Miller at Harper Studio, in a pre-empt, for publication in 2010, by Lynn Johnston of Lynn Johnston Literary (world).

UK

Dacre Stoker and Ian Holt's DRACULA: The Un-Dead, a sequel authorized by Stoker family, in which Dracula comes to 1912 London to exact his revenge, and to revisit his passionate love for the ageless Mina, to Jane Johnson at Harper UK, for publication in August 2009, by Baror International, on behalf of Atchity Entertainment International. Canadian rights to Laura Shin at Penguin Canada.

NON-FICTIONBUSINESS/INVESTING/FINANCE:

New York Times business reporter Andrew Ross Sorkin's TOO BIG TO FAIL, a behind-the-scenes account of the personalities and policies that led to the biggest debacle in American finance since the Depression, to Rick Kot at Viking, by David McCormick at McCormick & Williams Literary Agency.

Joe Nocera and Bethany McLean's book on the US financial crisis, to Adrian Zackheim at Portfolio, by Liz Darhansoff at Darhansoff, Verrill, Feldman.

Author of Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist, Roger Lowenstein's SIX DAYS THAT SHOOK THE WORLD, a look at last week on Wall Street and in Washington, illuminating the origins of the crisis, to Ann Godoff at Penguin Press, by Melanie Jackson at the Melanie Jackson Agency (world).

New York Times national economics correspondent Peter Goodman's HOCUS POCUS, tracing the roots and combined effects of the global credit and U.S. employment crises, from the investment booms of the 1990s through the housing bubble and exploring the economic opportunities and challenges that will arise in a new financial period of thrift and pullback, to Robin Dennis at Times Books, by Jim Rutman of Sterling Lord Literistic (World).

HEALTH:

Dr. Duke Johnson's THE OPTIMAL HEALTH REVOLUTION: How Inflammation is the Root Cause of the Biggest Killers… and How the Cutting-Edge Science of Nutrigenomics Can Transform Your Long-term Health, a science-based guide to health, to Glenn Yeffeth at BenBella Books, for publication in May 2009, by Uwe Stender at TriadaUS Literary Agency and Lisa Berkowitz at Berkowitz & Associates (World).

HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:

Host of both MSNBC's and Air America's "The Rachel Maddow Show" Rachel Maddow's look at how the United States has departed from its constitutional ideals and historical traditions to become a militarist nation, seemingly at peace with perpetual war, to Rachel Klayman at Crown, by Laurie Liss at Sterling Lord Literistic.

NYT bestselling author of Our First Revolution and U.S. News & World Report senior writer Michael Barone's CHASING THE AMERICAN DREAM, a penetrating look at America's uneasy path from a nation of 3 million to a melting pot of 300 million, tracing the lasting consequences of the demographic and population shifts that influenced the country's military, political, economic, and cultural landscapes, to Mary Choteborsky at Crown, by Glen Hartley at Writers' Representatives.

MEMOIR:

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin's MAGNIFICENT DESOLATION: The Long Road Home from the Moon, written with Ken Abraham, describing Aldrin's journey to the moon, his bout with depression and alcoholism upon his return to Earth, and the passionate love that saved him, and presenting his insider's perspective on the US space program, past, present and future, to John Glusman at Harmony, for publication for Father's Day 2009, by Dan Strone at Trident Media Group (NA).

Actor/comedians, screenwriters and real-life married couple Annabelle Gurwitch and Jeff Kahn's YOU SAY TOMATO, I SAY SHUT UP: A LOVE STORY, a memoir about one couple's reliance on complaining, co-dependence, and a healthy supply of Pinot Noir to keep their marriage and sanity intact, to Suzanne O'Neill at Crown, in a pre-empt, for publication in Spring 2010, by Laura Dail at the Laura Dail Literary Agency (World English).Film: Andy Cohen at Grade A Entertainment

SCIENCE:

Duke neuroscientist -- recognized by Scientific American as one of the twenty most influential scientists in the world -- Miguel Nicolelis, M.D., Ph.D.'s FREEING AURORA'S BRAIN, explaining his work translating the brain's neural signals to physical devices outside the body and its astonishing implications for rehabilitative medicine, space exploration, and the nature of humanity, to Robin Dennis at Times Books, at auction, by James Levine of Levine Greenberg Literary Agency (NA).Rights previously sold in Brazil to Companhia das Letras via International Editors.